Few Canadian acts have enjoyed the kind of run Blue Rodeo has experienced in this country over the last three decades.
The critically acclaimed roots/rock act founded by high school friends Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor has racked up an enviable string of hits, played to packed houses from coast to coast and inspired countless other artists along the way.
Throughout that run, they've called Warner Music home.
In celebration of this 25-year partnership, Warner Music and the band have released what could be the best Christmas present ever for die-hard Blue Rodeo fans.
That present is an eight-disc box set culled from the years 1987-1993.
Entitled simply Blue Rodeo: 1987 - 1993, this elaborate package took two years to go from conception to reality, but that time was very well spent.
What they've packed into this box are re-mastered versions of the band's first five studio albums: Outskirts; Diamond Mine; Casino; Lost Together and Five Days in July.
The three remaining discs include a remixed version of Outskirts that had not previously been available, a disc consisting of demos for Casino and last, but by no means least, a disc entitled Odds & Ends that features several demos and previously unreleased songs.
You might be asking yourself why it would take two years to assemble a package like this.
It's because they did it right.
In the case of the remixed version of Outskirts, for example, Keelor returned for the first time in 25 years to the original tracks recorded in the studio.
When asked what surprised him most about those original recordings Keelor offered this up.
"I was surprised at how many different accents I sang in on those records and how Jim sounds exactly the same now as he did 25 years ago."
Odd, but interesting.
In addition to the eight discs, the boxed set features a 44-page booklet that includes a number of rare photographs and a great essay on the band by Jason Schnieder in which band members open up on their first years together and how they dealt with their success.
There are also some other choice bits here, like why they turned down the opportunity to work with studio legend Geoff Emerick, who engineered such classic Beatles records as Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album and Abbey Road.
A lot of acts would have killed for the chance to be in the studio with Emerick and to learn from him.
If the box set is a little too rich for your blood and you still want to get a piece of the action, you can.
Warner has also released all five of the remastered records individually.
And believe me when I tell you the remastered tracks sound great - great band, great tracks, great work all around.
And I have to say that until I sat down and started listening to the boxed set I'd forgotten how many extraordinarily fine songs these guys have recorded.
Sure, I remembered all the big singles, but it was hearing the rest of these songs that really brought home to me how good they really are.
Doug Gallant, a reporter with The Guardian, writes his music review column for The Guardian every week. He welcomes comments from readers at dgallant@theguardian.pe.ca or 629-6000, ext. 6057.
